I made a posting concerning Pilgrims. It was pointed out to me that I had confused my pilgrims with puritans. Not much one can do about that but accept it. It is true that they are different groups. As a result of that I did a bit more reading regarding all of that. According to some pilgrims and puritans came from the same religious movement, separatist. The desire was to separate themselves from the catholic church. Inspired by Martin Luther and John Calvin products of the protestant reformation. The pilgrims ventured to America first and were followed by the puritans. They held many of the same views, the motivations were the same, it was just the manner in which they went about accomplishing that goal that differed.
I did read a bit about all of that, enough to satisfy myself and gain a bigger understanding. What I quickly realized was in school I hadn't been taught the nuances, just a generalization of the history. It's true I only have a high school diploma, I never attended a college or university, never studied history in any real depth. I can only assume that those nuances are what is taught in furthering education. So yes, I did get my puritans and pilgrims confused. The pilgrims came to America to practice their faith without interference from government. They signed the Mayflower compact, a sort of precursor to our constitution. The puritans came a bit later with the same motivation, to practice faith unencumbered by government intervention. They were the group at Plymouth rock, a sort of second generation pilgrim. A bit stricter.
Both groups were motivated to migrate to a land were they felt they could be free to practice their beliefs. Each group also needed a means to get here. The pilgrims were financed by the Merchant Adventurers, a group seeing a potentional for profit in the fur trade, among other ventures. The puritans relied upon themselves and their patrons. There were individuals willing to provide cash and possibly a ship for the voyage anticipating a return on that as well. The main thing was to break free from the catholic church and the church of England. That is why they were called separatists. They did want to be a totally separate group. The church of England is a protestant group, but the pilgrims and puritans felt it retained too many trappings of Catholicism.
Since that time, the establishment of the many denominations has taken pace. Each denomination establishing its' own method of worship. That is to say, the practices, the nuances of motivation involved with all of that. Those of us raised in religious households are taught the nuances associated with the faith. I was raised in the Episcopal church and became quite familiar with the ceremonies and rituals. I did occasionally attend the churches of my friends and noticed the differences, And today it wouldn't be unusual for a church to have a stage instead of an altar and a band instead of an organ. Just some of the differences in practice.
I have lived long enough to see nuance turn to expression. In a religious context, nuance turned to piety. I'm certain if we could attend one of the services conducted by a puritan or a pilgrim we would be shocked. The motivations of the parishioners may indeed remain the same, salvation, eternal life, forgiveness of our sins, but the method of obtaining that varies widely. Many churches still requite the giving of tithes. 10%, a tenth, according to biblical tradition intended to support the church and its' work of saving your soul. That has become more nuanced over the years. The actual practice of worship has always varied greatly, from the solemn services associated with the Catholic church to the party atmosphere we may experience today.
The pilgrims were separatists, viewed as a nuisance. They did migrate to Holland for a while but became disillusioned in that land. There were far too many secular people there. For that reason, among other practical reasons, they sought a new land, a new place to make a start. They joined a group of others, not pilgrims, on the ship we know as the Mayflower. They received funding from the Merchant Adventurers, an investment group in England. The pilgrims were not religiously persecuted, just troublesome and viewed as a threat by some to the established order of things. The puritan separatists came a bit later and had become a real problem and so were persecuted, harshly. They pooled their resources and headed to the "new world" anticipating establishing a colony of their own, with their beliefs and practices. They also figured it could prove a very profitable adventure.
So there a subtle difference, a nuanced difference between a pilgrim and a puritan. I don't think we were taught that in grade school because of the complexities involved in all of that. It is far easier to simply teach the basics. You start learning to play an instrument one note at a time. We were just told the story and the two became intertwined. Sort of like talking about a chevy and ford, same thing really, but with some differences. The Pilgrims had the first thanksgiving, that part in true, but it isn't what we think of today. The natives provided the food and the pilgrims were thankful, grateful to them for that. That's where the Thanksgiving came from, giving thanks to them. There was no turkey. But don't let the details ruin a good story, the moral of the story is the same, be thankful, generous and giving to your fellow man. Let us give thanks!
I ask you this; is a kindness more; or less kind, if the one receiving the kindness knows the motivation? Is the real intent important? Do you need to know the why? Pilgrims and Puritans. Who followed them? The colonists. They were financed by the holder of charters from the Queen of England to control defined "plantations" in the new world. England was big on plantations. The colonists did come seeking freedom and the ability to make their own way and were financed by those anticipating a profit. That's the part we usually don't hear much about until we get to the, no taxation without representation part of the story. It's a nuance overlooked for the most part. We weren't told about that in grade school either. No the colonists just came here seeking freedom! Had to fight the land, the Indians and the British!
That is what Wikipedia says. Pilgrims or Puritans. Apparently they were both, Puritan Pilgrims or Pilgrim Puritans. Six of one, half a dozen of the other.
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